


Into the Wild

by through_shadows_falling



Series: Supernatural Ficlets [69]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Animals, Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Beginnings of Destiel, Chuck is a neglectful farmer, Donkey Dean, Escape, First Meetings, Gen, Horse Sam, Kidnapping, Pig Castiel, Rescue, Team Free Will
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-28 09:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13268445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/through_shadows_falling/pseuds/through_shadows_falling
Summary: The pigs were conspiring again, their heads craned forward and a few darting back to check that none of the other animals were eavesdropping. As if they were the only ones Chuck neglected.Chuck wasn’t the worst, but he was…forgetful. Dean would never forgive him for forgetting to let Sam into his stall during the cold season one night. Dean had practically brayed himself hoarse calling to Chuck. All he could picture was Sam standing outside in the blizzard, trembling, his massive head bowed and his mane blowing in the chilly breeze.Now, standing in his muddy corral, Dean chewed on the wooden fence as he observed the pigs’ meeting across the stable yard. Did they really think they could improve their situation?





	Into the Wild

**Author's Note:**

> @longkissgoodnightbatmanandtwofac wrote:
> 
> "I really liked what you did with the last prompt I sent you. I loved where the whole family was reunited. So I have decided to send another prompt. 
> 
> Here it is: Dean is a donkey who lives on a farm with his only friend, Sam the horse. The other animals on the farm decide to rebel against their neglectful farmer, Chuck. The pigs (canon angels) take control. Dean is kidnapped after a rival farmer named Crowley attacks the farm. One of the pigs, Cas, is sent to rescue him. Dean bonds with Cas and soon falls in love with him. But he doesn’t trust pigs which comes to ahead when they decide to send Sam to knacker after he injures his foot."
> 
> An interesting prompt for sure, but ultimately a fun challenge! It’s only a one-shot, but I hope you like what I did with it! :)

The pigs were conspiring again. That’s all they seemed to do: huddle together and whisper, their heads craned forward and a few darting back to check that none of the other animals were eavesdropping. 

Selfish, elitist  _pigs_. As if they were the only ones Chuck neglected. 

Really, all the farm animals should band together to free themselves. Chuck wasn’t the worst master, per se, but he was…forgetful. Dean would never forgive him for forgetting to let Sam into his stall during the cold season one night. Dean had practically brayed himself hoarse calling to Chuck. All he could picture was Sam standing outside in the blizzard, trembling, his massive head bowed and his mane blowing in the chilly breeze. 

Now, standing in his muddy corral, Dean chewed on the wooden fence as he observed the pigs’ meeting across the stable yard. Did they really think they could improve their situation? They were locked in their pen, and only Chuck could open the gate. 

Dean’s tail swished as he gnawed on the wood. Flies buzzed, and his ears flicked to shoo them away. Hoof beats sounded, and then Sam trotted up to him, his coat gleaming in the sunlight. He towered over Dean, but Dean wasn’t afraid of him - Dean had a nasty bite, and his hind hoofs could do real damage if he kicked hard enough.

But there was no reason for violence. He and Sam were friends, practically brothers, and they were alone in their pen, alone and hungry. There’d once been grass beneath their hooves, but rain had turned the whole thing into a mud pit, not unlike the pig sty. Dean longed for the open green pastures beyond the fence, but the rungs were so high, not even Sam could jump them. 

“The pigs still plotting?” Sam cast a shadow on Dean’s smaller form. 

Dean backed away from the fence and huffed. “I guess. Do they really think they can escape?”

“It’s certainly a nice thought.”

They’d made their own plans, but Chuck was extra careful since their last attempt. He didn’t even open the gate anymore; he just poured their food or water over the fence into troughs.

And the problem with their initial plan? Sam got out, but Dean didn’t, and Sam was an idiot who refused to save himself. He could’ve run for the hills, but instead returned for Dean. 

Dean didn’t talk to him for a week after that stunt. Sam just didn’t get it, did he? 

Still, he appreciated the horse’s loyalty. 

“I left some hay for you,” Sam said. “You should go eat.”

“You can have it.”

“I ate most of it already, and you haven’t had any. Don’t tell me you’re not hungry.”

Dean said nothing.

“Stubborn jackass,” Sam snorted.

“You’re one to talk, you smelly show-pony.”

“Who’s smelly?” Sam nipped at his hindquarters, and Dean darted away to bare his teeth in a sneer. 

Sam might’ve had a point…Dean did like to roll in the mud, and his coat was thicker than Sam’s, so the dirt clumped in it much easier. In his defense, the mud kept the flies away. They were the true bane of his existence. 

Dean kicked up his back hooves and charged across the paddock toward the food trough, flinging mud in his wake. Sam followed at a much smoother gait, the show-off. 

Dean ate the rest of the hay, and although he didn’t speak aloud, he and Sam both wondered when the next meal would come. Sam’s ribs were starting to show. He was a big horse; he needed a lot more food than Chuck provided. 

Dean gnashed his teeth. He would find a way to fix this even if it killed him.

That night, he and Sam stood next to each other in the paddock as they slept. It was windy but not cold, and perhaps the howling gales were the reason Dean didn’t hear the intruder before it was too late. 

The short human had a rope tightened around his neck before he realized it, and even though he bucked and brayed, he couldn’t pull free from the choking grip. Another human was trying to catch Sam, but Sam was far too fast, and just did laps of the corral. His frantic whinnies filled the air as he called Dean’s name, but he couldn’t get close enough to prevent Dean from being dragged toward the open gate. Dean planted his hooves, but the mud was still slick, and he slid. 

The accomplice abandoned Sam to help shove at Dean. The crack of a whip had Dean pelting out the gate, and then the two humans were closing the fence, leaving Sam to neigh shrilly after them, his neck leaning over the top rung and his mouth open wide. 

“DEAN!”

Dean tried to fight, but there were so many cruel hands hauling him this way and that. He was yanked past the pig pen, and he planted his hooves in one last ditch effort. The whip stung his back, and he brayed and raced ahead, right up a ramp and into a trailer. The humans left him with the rope on his neck as they sealed the door shut with an echoing clank, cloaking him in darkness. 

A rumble preceded a jerky movement, and Dean lost his footing. He sank to the hard metal floor and trembled in fear and pain and exhaustion. 

Where were these horrible humans taking him, and would he ever get out alive?

Time passed. The motions eventually stopped, but Dean wasn’t released. He heard muffled voices, but couldn’t discern words. When he finally stood on shaky legs, his hooves clopped on the metal. There was no food or water, and he accidentally stepped on the end of the rope once, which tightened even more around his neck. He could barely breathe, let alone in the stale, dark air of the trailer. 

He was going to die in here, wasn’t he?

He wished he’d never complained about Chuck, because at least with Chuck, he was freer than this hellhole. 

Dean paced in circles and pawed at the walls until he was dizzy with heat and dehydration. He sank again to the ground, panting. 

Hours went by, or at least he assumed so. At one point, the human voices returned, the sound harsh, but they quickly vanished. Did they forget about Dean, or did they want him to suffer?

And then a miracle happened. 

A familiar yet slightly distorted nicker greeted him, and his ears perked up.

“Sam?”

“Dean!”

“You have to pull the lever, there,” said a new, deep voice. “Just latch on with your teeth and tug hard. Yes, you’ve got it.”

With a long, metallic groan, the door of Dean’s trailer dropped open. He rose to his feet and gaped at the sight.

Sam stood before him, regal as always, but bleeding from scrapes on his neck and belly and forelegs. 

Dean was about to yell at him for doing something stupid when he noticed the newcomer next to him. 

It was a medium-sized pig–a male, white with black spots. He wrinkled his snout and oinked once. “Hello, Dean.”

Dean stared at him.

“My name is Castiel,” the pig continued. 

“He helped me find you,” Sam said. “After I broke out of the paddock.”

“You broke out? How?”

Sam wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I, uh…ran at the fence a few times, and tried to jump.”

“You could’ve killed yourself!”

“But the pigs helped in the end. They’re brilliant! They took over the whole farm and let everyone go. Chuck came to see what the commotion was about, and the pigs ran him off! It was great.”

That did sound incredible, but Dean narrowed his gaze on Castiel. “How did you know where to find me?”

“I knew the humans who took you. I’ve been here before.” 

Here? And where exactly was that?

Dean limped out of the trailer. It was another farm, but there were no animals in sight. The unnatural silence made him shiver. He didn’t want to know what happened to creatures here. 

“Let me get that rope off your neck,” Castiel said. “Bend down.”

Dean lowered his head, and Castiel began to nibble on the rope. His snout tickled Dean’s neck, and he shuddered–but not in a bad way. 

Soon, the rope came free. 

“Thank you,” Dean said.

Castiel nodded and oinked again. The sound was kind of cute, which was an odd thought. Dean had never believed pigs were cute, but this one had saved his life, even though they were strangers. 

Sam swooped in to gently headbutt Dean–his way of making sure Dean was okay. 

“So now what?” Dean asked. 

“Now we’re free,” Sam said. “And I’m starving!”

“Of course you are. Let’s go graze.” He paused. “What about you, Cas?”

Castiel blinked. “What do you mean?”

“You going back to the farm, or do you want to come with us, to the wild?”

Castiel looked behind him, down a long stretch of road, then returned to Sam and Dean. “I’ve always wanted to see the wild.”

Warmth burst in Dean’s chest at his answer. For some reason, he was glad Castiel would join them. “Then let’s go.” 

Sam threw back his head and neighed, then galloped ahead. 

Dean let him go with a victorious bray of his own, but retained a slower speed to accommodate their new friend. 

Guess the pigs were really onto something after all. 


End file.
